The White House claims they had no idea Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) would not meet President Joe Biden during his trip to Flordia to assess the damage from Hurricane Idalia.
However, DeSantis made it clear he had no interest in greeting the president.
On Saturday, reporters asked Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre what happened since the White House previously said there was an agreed location for Biden’s visit.
“There was just no indication that he was not going to be there," Jean-Pierre said.
Criswell claimed that Biden and DeSantis had “mutually agreed on” visiting Live Oak together.
“What we look at is operational impacts, and in this area, the power is being restored, the roads are all open, and the access has not been hindered. And, so, that's why this was a mutually agreed upon area for the president," Criswell said.
However, on Friday, the GOP hopeful explicitly indicated he would not meet with Biden.
“We don’t have any plans for the governor to meet with the president tomorrow,” DeSantis’ press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, said. “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.”
DeSantis argued Biden’s trip could be “very disruptive” to recovery efforts.
Jean-Pierre said that the White House would let DeSantis speak for himself despite already saying he had plans to meet Biden before the president's trip.
“The president spoke with the governor. It was an understanding that the president said to him he was coming to Florida. We never heard any disagreement with it,” Jean-Pierre continued.
Biden met with the governor a few times in the past years following a hurricane landfall. Asked what was different then versus now, Jean-Pierre declined to admit it was a game of politics.
“That is a question for the governor," she said. "It is not about politics. It doesn't matter if it's a red state or a blue state; the president's going to show up and be there for the community. And that's what you're seeing."
Biden has been brutally criticized for his lack of sympathy toward natural disaster survivors.
He caught flack from Hawaii residents after he gave them only $700 after the devastating fires burned down countless homes and claimed the lives of loved ones.
It is especially noteworthy that $700 in Maui won't get people far when rebuilding their lives. However, Biden has had no problem shelling out millions and millions of dollars to Ukraine and, in the process, selling out the U.S.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member